Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1999 17:37:42 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <199910062137.RAA16167@mattababy.mit.edu>
From: belmonte@mit.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
To: senator@kennedy.senate.gov
Subject: support McConnell amendment to S. 1593

Dear Senator Kennedy:

I write as your constituent to express my support for the McConnell amendment
to S. 1593, the campaign finance reform bill.  The McConnell amendment, due to
be introduced during the coming weeks when the bill comes to the Senate floor,
would safeguard individuals' right to political discourse on the Internet.  The
amendment is a response to recent Federal Elections Commission rulings that
individuals who create web sites or other networked materials in support of a
particular candidate must count the value of their entire computer systems as
a donation to that candidate's campaign.  Such wide interpretatations of
legislation intended for older media threaten to silence much of the
spontaneous political discourse on the net.  The Center for Democracy and
Technology, a leading advocate of individual rights on the Internet, has stated
its support of the McConnell amendment and has created a report that explains
why the amendment is needed.  That report is at
"http://www.cdt.org/speech/political/financereport.shtml".

Well-meaning but uninformed advocates of strong campaign finance reform may
argue against the McConnell amendment.  I hope you'll counter these arguments.